College basketball fans and gamblers often forget the Clemson Tigers. Known as a football school, the Clemson basketball program rarely makes the headlines, even in good times. A major part of Clemson’s identity crisis is its lack of Big Dance success in college basketball betting. Clemson has indeed had its share of NCAA Tournament appearances. But it has rarely capitalized on them. In 2024, the Tigers reached the Elite Eight, but in 2025, they reverted to factory settings with a first-round exit. This year, the Tigers look like a team that is ready for another deep run in the Big Dance.
The Virginia Cavaliers rank with Clemson as the top threats to the Duke Blue Devils in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Last year, Virginia was caught off guard by the resignation of longtime head coach Tony Bennett right before the start of the campaign. Now under new head coach Ryan Odom, the Cavaliers have shown immediate improvement.
By contrast, the biggest disappointment in the Atlantic Coast Conference is the North Carolina Tar Heels. Carolina has a losing conference record, and Hubert Davis is under fire for not keeping pace with hated rival Duke. Most important of all is that gamblers are annoyed by North Carolina’s lack of profits and a recent flood of red ink.
Virginia Cavaliers
The Virginia Cavaliers are one of the biggest surprises in college basketball with a record of 16-2 straight up, 12-6 against the spread, and 7-11 under the total.
Overall, Virginia is an impressive offensive team, ranking 29th in scoring, 37th in 3-point shooting, and 4th in offensive rebounding. Defensively, they are in the upper quarter of the nation, ranking 83rd in scoring defense and 6th in defending field goals. Virginia has covered five consecutive games, with all five going under the total. Virginia is led by Thijs De Ridder, a freshman from Belgium, with 16.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest.
New head coach Ryan Odom arrived from Virginia Commonwealth, where he went 28-7 last year, earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Previously, Odom was the head coach of an opponent that handed Virginia one of its worst losses and darkest moments in program history. Odom’s UMBC Retrievers beat Virginia 74-54 in the 2018 NCAA Tournament to become the first 16-seed ever to beat a 1-seed. Accordingly, Virginia has a light schedule this week with only one game on January 24 at home against the North Carolina Tar Heels at 2 p.m. ET with coverage on ESPN.
Clemson Tigers
Head coach Brad Brownell is in his 16th offshore betting season with the Clemson Tigers, yet few basketball fans could name him. Brownell has led Clemson to the Big Dance in three of the last five seasons, producing the aforementioned Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen runs. Last year, the Tigers were 18-2 in ACC games, finishing second in the standings. Now, Clemson is building on that success with a 16-3 record, including 6-0 in the ACC.
Most important of all, Clemson is 12-7 against the spread, and 8-11 under the College hoops odds total. The Tigers have been on a roll lately, with six straight payouts. Clemson went under the total in eight of its last ten games.
Brad Brownell is using defense as the catalyst for his success. In sum, the Tigers rank 10th out of 361 Division I teams for fewest points allowed. Clemson ranks 35th in defending field goals and 21st in stopping 3-point shots.
Meanwhile, offensively, the Tigers are not as impressive, ranking 230th in scoring, 127th in field goal percentage, and 217th in 3-point field goal percentage. Clemson’s leading scorer is RJ Godfrey with a modest 12 points per game.
On January 20, the Tigers host the NC State Wolfpack at 7 p.m. ET with coverage on ACCN. Next, on January 24, Clemson has a road game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Noon ET with coverage on ACCN.